Water Touched - A Dragon Tribe Origin

Chapter Forty-Five - Darien

Nightmares plagued Darien's sleep. They had been since the death of his father. For the first time since Orion's death, however, Darien didn't dream about the murder. This new nightmare starred Tai. Most of the details were fuzzy. What he did remember was she had a dying baby in her arms. Their baby? He wasn't sure. In the end, she had to choose between him and that Alex guy. Alex was the guy she went with and Darien was left with the dead infant. In a lot of ways, that dream was a lot worse than the one with his father. Orion couldn't be hurt anymore, whereas Tai could still leave him forever.

Connor taught him once about dream interpretation, so Darien knew enough to not take the dream literally. What all of the different symbols meant, however, he couldn't remember. A baby wasn't a baby, and Alex and Tai didn't necessarily represent Alex and Tai. Knowing that was the only thing keeping him from worrying too much. He'd remember to write it down later and show it to Connor when he got home. Until then, he'd have to not let the dream ruin his day completely. The closing ceremony would soon be underway. Darien wanted to have a sound mind and feel rested for it—especially if he was going to be flying home right after.

He awoke before sunrise and left a note for Lance stating he was going to go for a jog in the hopes of clearing his head before the meeting. He put on his sneakers, some loose shorts, and a t-shirt, probably the first time he'd worn clothes that were comfortable since he arrived. Darien found a path into the nearby forest close to the Oceina sleeping quarters, and took in the peace and quiet around him. There wasn't another person around for a change. All he could hear was nature: the birds, the squirrels, the rustling of the trees.

Darien didn't run often. When he wanted exercise, he biked, or did things like push-ups and crunches in the privacy of his home. Or swim. He loved to swim. Being one with his element was always the most energizing and relaxing thing he could do.

As he moved through the forest, he saw a small lake ahead of him. The water called to him, almost literally, like he only found the lake in the first place because it wanted him to. On the council island, there was plenty of ocean nearby for him to play in. Salt water was not the same as fresh water, though, and that was not as plentiful. Being in the pristine waters of the lake sounded divine.

He ran to the lake, pulled off his running clothes and dove into the water. There he could sit and try to think without worrying about Tai hearing him.

The water felt soothing on his skin, and the moment it touched him, he became rejuvenated inside and out. He had instant peace, instant energy. He swam to the center of the lake and settled onto the bottom, placing his feet under him to keep stable as he sat on his haunches. The fish swam away from him, and he held back a laugh. Fish. When was the last time he swam where there were fish?

Darien closed his eyes, breathing the water in. It was so much different than the water at home. The water in the lake was naturally pure and clean, not artificially processed to be that way. Somehow, that changed the way he reacted to it. Magic was present. A lot of magic. It oozed out of him in quantities he couldn't control.

The water began to glow with wisps of blue glittering magic. They spiraled around him, forming a blue, sparkling, protective shell. Darien stared in awe because he'd never seen such a spell be cast before, let alone on its own accord.

What's going on? The blue magic became streaked with darker blue and even more potent, glittering streams of light. These tendrils joined together at one point directly in front of him and began to take on the shape of a water dragon. He'd never seen anything like it before, nor had he heard of any spells able to create such a conjuring.

"Your divine revelation," the dragon told him.

Dad? Darien would recognize that voice anywhere. Was that even possible? He'd never heard of the dead manifesting themselves in such a way before.